Competitive Bidding and Custom landscape lighting

16 Jan Competitive Bidding and Custom landscape lighting

By Mike Gambino

It is my opinion that rarely do these words go together and result in a successful landscape lighting project.

Whenever I am asked to give a “bid” I cringe and immediately my mind focuses on the fact that I am probably being set up for a waste of my time. Why do I say that, because usually those requesting “bids” don’t know me or my company (and this probably is true of the other “bidders” they are soliciting bids from)  are not familiar with my work and probably haven’t put much thought or do diligence into choosing the best service provider for their landscape lighting project.

Competitive bidding is not good for business.  Besides the time spent doing an estimate for a job you may not get, there is an additional element that most homeowners are not aware of.  The following quote helps explain this:

Competitive bids are just that! If I shave the labor or materials to get your job, is that the job you really want? There are hundreds of ways to lower the price of a landscape lighting project which often lower the quality and workmanship also. The best drawings and specifications don’t protect you from poor trade practices.

This quote above sums up my feelings well. There are plenty of ways to cut corners to create a lower price. Competitive bidding rewards the lowest price and offers absolutely no advantage to good workmanship.  This is what property owners need to understand.  Homeowners are taught 1 distinction by the media and home improvement television programning when they pick a contractor, and that’s price.  rarely are they taught to make their choice primarily on  value.

Custom landscape lighting designer builders don’t sell a commodity-we sell a service.  Custom landscape lighting systems can never be priced on a per fixture basis.  There are too any variables.  As an industry It is incumbent upon us to teach homeowners about these variables.  It is up to us to educate the homeowner about the “process of designing and building a custom one of a kind landscape lighting system.”  It is up to us to help homeowners understand the service we are providing.  We are not just designing a project; we are managing a process.  To be successful in landscape lighting, you must manage the process as well as manage the project.  We need to make the homeowners we work with aware of this.

In a landscape lighting project, homeowners are putting one of their biggest assets, their home, at risk.  They will frequently spend thousands of dollars to have work done on this primary asset.  When most projects start, varying degrees of deconstruction might take place in the landscape, where plants and flowers may be temporarily removed.  This is followed by ground being dug up or turf being sliced through a process homeowners don’t really understand.  Installing landscape lighting in someone’s home can invasive, messy, and interrupt routines the homeowners’ follow when done by non professionals or those that do not do this type of work on a daily basis.  Homeowners understandably get very uneasy during this process.  Most have never gone through a landscape lighting project, so they don’t know what to expect.  A good landscape lighting designer builder helps homeowners understand the steps involved in this difficult process, and guides them through this process.  Helping homeowners deal effectively with this process and making sure all of their prized plants and garden amenities go back to the way they were before landscape lighting construction began.

Instead of lowest price these are some of the personal characteristics that should be primarily weighed::

1. Honesty, integrity

2. Good communication skills

3. The ability to empathize

4. Long-term relationship oriented

5. Quality construction

6. Clear project specifications

7. Good company organization

8. Company responsiveness

9.- On time performance

When a homeowner is looking for a cheap landscape lighting system then that is what they will get a cheap landscape lighting system. Price should not be the primary consideration.  Custom landscape lighting is a relationship business, not a numbers game.

This landscape lighting blog is published by Mike Gambino of Gambino landscape lighting inc. all rights reserved. Mike is a professional landscape lighting system designer/ builder and has been designing, installing and maintaining landscape lighting systems for more than 20 years. Mike resides in the Los Angeles area with his wife and 2 sons. To visit his website go to www.gambinolighting.com . To inquire about hiring Mike please click here .

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